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Daniel 12:1-3
Proper 28B
Where and What Is It? Imagine my surprise as I went to my trusty 3-volume commentary on Hebrew Scripture written by Jewish scholar, Robert Alter and couldn’t find the book of Daniel. Obviously, I pulled his volume on the prophets but the book of Daniel was not where it belonged! So I opened his book…
Psalm 16
Proper 28B
It is easy to see why many people associate Psalm 16 with funerals. It often gets read at funerals and one or another of the verses sometimes gets printed on the cover or the back cover of a funeral program or memorial folder. And of course sometimes we preachers are asked by families to use…
Psalm 146
Proper 27B
Psalm 146 is the Year B psalm appointed for November 10, 2024, which in the United States will be the first Sunday following the Presidential election. No doubt even those of you reading this commentary who do not live in the U.S. have been aware of this election and maybe you have even paid some…
Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17
Proper 27B
Commentary on Ruth 3: Sunday School may not have given us exactly the right idea about what is going on in Ruth chapter 3. In our Sunday School imaginings, Ruth may seem to have more in common with a Disney princess than a desperate and resourceful Moabite widow in Israel. Her first day in the…
Ruth 1:1-18
Proper 26B
The next two Sundays create a wonderful opportunity for reflection on harvest, on reliance on God in the hard times and gratitude to God who provides — wonderful themes for the Thanksgiving season. Illustration The Bechdel Test is a way of evaluating film content named for its creator, Alison Bechdel. It is an informal way…
Psalm 119:1-8
Proper 26B
The Aleph section of Psalm 119 is a little all over the place in some ways. As many of us know, the longest of all the Psalms is divided up into 8-verse units that follow the ordering of the Hebrew alphabet with each line of each segment beginning with the same letter of the alphabet. …
Job 38:1-6, 10-17
Proper 25B
In one way, this sequence of lectionary readings have been helpful: setting up a premise — unjust suffering that God’s people throughout history and geography will relate to, Job’s honest response, God showing up and putting the present moment in context and, finally, this week, Job’s acceptance of God’s power and wisdom. On the other…
Psalm 126
Proper 25B
Perky. That’s the word that came to mind after I once again read this short, effervescent psalm. It’s perky. It bubbles over with joy and hopefulness. It is about a reversal of fortune that generates almost giddy happiness and joy. It is about dreams coming true—dreams that for too long seemed to be unlikely at…
Psalm 91:9-16
Proper 24B
If you have been reading my sermon commentaries here on the CEP website over the years, then you have no doubt sensed that I hold a very high view of Scripture as God’s Word. I take it more than seriously and I reverently honor its inspired nature and believe it is infallible in all the…
Job 38:1-7, 34-41
Proper 24B
Image: To begin as a kind of summary of where Job has been, we might turn to that sage philosopher in black, Johnny Cash. In his song, I Won’t Back Down, Cash sings: I won’t back down. No, I won’t back down. You can stand me up at the gates of hell But I won’t…
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